Socată, grandma’s recipe
Socată, the Romanian elderflower drink, ferments with elderflowers, lemon, sugar and yeast, and you can adjust the sweetness to taste. After two days, it’s lightly fizzy, with a citrusy taste and a fine sparkle that gets stronger if you leave it to ferment longer. I drink it cold, in small glasses, while it still has its bubbles. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 0 minutes. Resting: 52 hours. Total time: 52 hours and 20 minutes. Servings: 40. Approximately 50 kcal and 0 g protein per serving.
Ingredients
- 10 elderflower heads
- 10000 ml water
- 500 g sugar
- 20 g fresh yeast
- 1 lemon
Preparation
1. Gently shake the 10 elderflower heads and remove the thick stems. Cut the lemon into slices. 2. In a clean vessel of at least 12 litres, stir the sugar into the water until it dissolves. Add the flowers, lemon slices and yeast, then stir. 3. Cover the vessel with a clean towel and leave it at room temperature for 48 hours. Stir once a day; fine bubbles will appear on the surface. 4. Strain the socată and pour it into clean bottles. Refrigerate the bottles for 4 hours before serving.
Notes
Just-opened flowers with a clear fragrance give a cleaner result; clusters with lots of green stems can leave a bitter taste. In a cool room, fermentation may slow down, so I look for fine bubbles before straining it. I start the batch two days before the meal I want to serve it with. I serve it cold, alongside savory pie. Kept in the fridge, drink it within 3 days; to make a smaller amount, reduce all the quantities in the same proportion.
Frequently asked questions
Can fresh yeast be replaced with dry yeast?
Yes. Use about 7 g of dry yeast instead of the 20 g of fresh yeast.
Why aren’t there any bubbles after one day?
Below 18°C, the yeast works more slowly. Move the vessel somewhere warmer and leave the drink for another 12 hours.
How can I reduce the bitterness?
Thick stems can make it bitter, as can the white part under the lemon peel. Remove the thick stems and use lemon slices with as little white pith as possible.
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